replacing chisel handles

[Jeff Bartley]

I'm getting ready to replace the handle on a new-to-me framing chisel and would like to solicit advice. Not sure of the age but it's a 1 1/2" socket type, not the prettiest, good bit of rust, but the price was very fair and it finally gave me the opportunity to purchase from Patrick Leach. My plan is to use evaporust after removing the handle to take care of the rust.
So for those who've done this----what's the easiest way to remove the handle? And to turn a new handle is it hopeful to just use the old one as a template? I'll reuse the steel hoop (after cleaning it up).
And I should add: purchasing from Patrick was great, wouldn't hesitate to do it again!
And I know: no pictures, didn't happen, right?! Thanks!

[steven c newman]

Picked up a $1 corner chisel awhile back..246479 was a might rusty, and the handle..246480 needed to be replaced, so I used the old one as a pattern. After just a few twists back and forth, old handle came out. Next the lathe work..246481 not too bad? I then drove the new handle into place. Used a piece of pipe the right size( checked as I turned the new handle) and fitted that..246482 a little finish on the beech handle, and I now have a 7/8" corner chisel by PEXTO. Just a dollar bill...

[Jeff Bartley]

Nice work Steve! I like how you put flats on the handle to move it back and forth. What did you use to clean up the rust?

[steven c newman]

Those "flats" were from part of the old handle being MIA. I used a wire brush in a drill to clean things up. It is now a part of my two framer chisel set..246486an 1-1/2" by vancamp, next to a Frankenplane #5. Just small chisels...

[Jim Koepke]

I have been able to remove handles by hitting the old handle with a mallet or even a convenient hunk of wood. If they are glued in you may need to try drilling them out.

Be very careful if using the blunt force method. A light grip will allow the chisel to swing and do severe damage to what ever is in it path.

Do you have a lathe? That makes producing new handles easy.

jtk

[Mike Henderson]

Many times, you can hold the chisel by the blade and hit the handle against your bench (sideways). Keep tapping the handle and it will usually come out. You can use the old handle as a guide to turn the new handle or measure the opening of the socket and then adjust your taper to fit. It means taking the handle off the lathe a bunch of times to do trial fits.

My strong recommendation to you is to not put a hoop on your handle. You're not going to hit the chisel that hard and if you use a wooden mallet it won't bung up the top of the handle. I find that a hoop is very uncomfortable when I use the chisel in my hand (just pushing it, not using a mallet).

Here's some pictures of chisel handles I made.

Mike

246517246518

[Jim Koepke]

The great thing about making your own handles is choosing the style you like and making it fit your hands.

Here is a shot of some of mine from 2008.

246564

The one on the right is one of my favorites. The bead at the bottom fits against my fingers and the ball end allows my palm to vary the angle of attack from side to side which is handy when paring.

246565

This is just a close up of the rosewood handle that is also one of my favorites.

Your shape is sure to be your own once you find it.

jtk

[Dale Coons]

+1 on rapping the side of the chisel on a bench or solid block of wood to remove the handle--it may take a few tries but it will come out if you have a little patience (and it's not glued in). I rescued a set of my granddad's chisels from an uncle who had abused them badly--it took several minutes of rapping, but they did finally pop out. The flip side of that is that a well fit handle doesn't need to be glued in--there are obvious advantages. Here's a link to a nice little article for making a handle on a lathe. Since you have the handle, you can use it for a pattern. The 'chalking' tip at the end of the article is a good way to check fit.

http://americanwoodworker.com/blogs/techniques/archive/2012/04/27/turning-wood-socket-chisel-handles.aspx

[Jeff Bartley]

You guys have made some beautiful handles! I'm afraid mine will not be nearly as ornate......it's a timber-framing chisel. But I was able to easily get the handle off by rapping on the bench.
Mike--I'm glad you mentioned comfort with the hoop.....as it is a framing chisel I will put the hoop on but I think I'll dress the edges a bit first so it comfortable for paring.
Dale--that's a really cool method for getting the taper right!
Jim--what was the rosewood like to turn? I've never worked rosewood.
I'll update with before and after pics as soon as I get the handle underway!

[Todd Burch]

Could BONDO be used to make a pattern for the socket, or, is the trial and error method the recommended way to go?

Todd

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I'm not sure a pattern for the socket would save you any time unless you were also casting the handle somehow. Basically, you figure out the taper, more or less; which is a straightforward enough measuring job however you go about it. Then make that taper however is easiest; certainly not a difficult task with a lathe, but I've made it with saw cuts and whittling. (No lathe access) Then it's a of removing a bit here and there to fit the slight irregularities of the socket of the old chisels. (A modern machine chisel like a LN is going to be a more exact taper inside, while the rough folded and forged surface of an older chisel is going to be more irregular, but as a result I find they hold onto their handles better. . .. ) At that point, trying to compare that tapered piece of a wood to a pattern seems like it's apt to be more difficult than just inserting, seeing where it rubs, removing a little, and repeating. I suppose the pattern might make measuring the socket taper a little easier, but it still seems like measuring the taper is going to be faster than trying to make a pattern and waiting for it to cure. If you wanted to measure the taper that way, I'd probably use clay and plastic wrap or something a little quicker than bondo.

[Mike Henderson]

Joshua is exactly right. The way to fit a socket is to turn the taper a bit big, then push it into the handle. You'll see a rub pattern on the taper when you take it out of the socket. Then put it back on the lathe and turn that part down a bit. Eventually, you'll get an even "rub" when you push the handle into the socket. That's where you want to be. Note that old sockets are not an even taper and not symmetrical so you may never get a full "rub" pattern - just get the best you can.

And he also has it exactly right about new and old socket chisels. The old sockets are irregular and hold a handle much better than a new chisel, such as a Lie Nielsen. I had to glue some handles into LN chisels because they just wouldn't stay in. To be fair, the wood was a bit oily so that may have made it harder to stay in. The handles don't come out immediately, but get loose in use. Then the blade drops off when you pick up the chisel by the handle.

Mike

[Oh, a problem with trying to get a mold of the socket is to get the material out of the socket after its hardened. Old sockets are so irregular that the material will be locked in the socket.]

[Jim Koepke]

What everyone else said plus the new sockets on LN chisels are likely made from smooth metal to start. Old chisels have years of oxidation plus the insides were likely not real smooth to start.

Harry Strasil once showed a device made with dowels and other scraps for helping to cut the taper without having to remove the work from the lathe repeatedly.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?112339-Chisel-Handle-Socket-Taper-Jig

When I made a lot at the same time, I was getting pretty good just doing it by eye and then a little paring to get a perfect fit.

Some recommend a spritz of hair spray into the socket to hold a handle that is prone to slip off.

jtk

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I think the major different is that I believe the LN are CNC'd or drilled or something - that conical hole is made out of a piece of solid steel. All the old socket chisels I have, the sockets were originally flat metal that was folded over and forge welded or something.

[steven c newman]

I got lucky with mine. I still had the old handle, still in the chisel. I could use that as a pattern to turn it close enough to drive it in. Inside the socket was a ridge, from being folded into shape a welded. The whole chisel shows forging marks. Made for some Hardware Chain store in the Boston area, I think they also sold a brand called PEXTO. 16+ inches of corner chisel! 7/8" on each flat. I could almost use this as a lathe chisel??

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I'm no turner, so I can't really comment, but I'd be afraid of using a socket chisel on a lathe, for fear of the blade coming off the handle. Given how rapping the handle sideways is exactly what loosens the handle on a socket chisel, I can see if you were turning something down from something rough or hexagonal or whatever, and any vibration slowly loosening the handle. If I was going to do that, I'd be cross-pinning and/or epoxying the handle, or just dispensing with entirely and using just the blade.

Again, just my first reaction to the idea; I'm not a turner at all.

[Jim Koepke]

Joshua,

I have used socket gouges on my lathe. Taking a heavy cut on a lathe is a recipe for disaster even with a tang mounted tool.

Once the shape gets into the realm of round, there isn't a whole lot of bouncing around. A couple of the tools that came with my lathe were made by a previous owner and are made from large socket chisels and gouges.

If one is worried about the tools slipping off, one could always do the sacrilege of drilling a hole an inserting a screw to hole the handle on. This was often done with slicks. A slick can cause some nasty damage if it slips off the handle while being carried edge down.

jtk

[Jeff Bartley]

Jim, Thanks for the link to Harry's method! So simple, and if you had a bunch of handles to turn I bet it would be a real time saver.
I wonder if Harry is still here? Didn't he make those nice holdfasts? I hope he's still around, he seemed to be overflowing with ww'ing knowledge!